Mark Fox will stay at Nevada

Citing his commitment to the University of Nevada, Wolf Pack men’s basketball coach Mark Fox has informed the University of Nebraska that he does not want to be a candidate for the school’s head coaching vacancy, he announced Saturday afternoon.

Fox met with University of Nevada President Milton Glick on Friday night and informed university officials of his decision on Saturday morning.

“The University of Nebraska is an outstanding university in a terrific conference, and Steve Pederson is an impressive athletic leader. But the University of Nevada is also a special place, and I am very happy as Nevada’s head coach,” said Fox in a released statement. “My happiness at Nevada, the timing of the situation and most importantly, my commitment to my players led me to inform Nebraska that I did not want to be a candidate for their coaching position. I am very excited about working with (Nevada athletic director) Cary Groth and President Glick toward building an even stronger basketball program at the University of Nevada.”

Fox has four starters returning to next year’s team, including Nick Fazekas, who opted not to enter the NBA draft.

“Cary and I both felt that it was important for the continued success of the Nevada basketball program that we keep Mark Fox as our head coach,” said Glick in a released statement. “We let him know how much we appreciate him and believe in the importance of his long-term leadership at the University of Nevada. We are very pleased with his decision and commitment to Nevada and look forward to watching his continued accomplishments for many years to come.”

“Mark Fox was the right person for our coaching job three years ago, and he continues to be,” said Groth in a released statement. “He has done a tremendous job in furthering the success and tradition of the Nevada basketball program on and off the court, and I am delighted that Mark has decided to stay in Reno. I look forward to seeing what the Wolf Pack will accomplish under his leadership in the coming years.”

In his two seasons at the helm of the Wolf Pack program, Fox has compiled a 52-13 record. He has led Nevada to back-to-back Western Athletic Conference regular-season championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. He also has been named the Don Haskins Coach of the Year by his peers in the conference in each of his first two years as head coach.

In 2005-06, Fox’s squad turned in a 27-6 overall record, which was just one victory shy of the single-season school record, while the Wolf Pack won the WAC regular-season title and the WAC Tournament championship and earned the school’s third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Fox agreed to a new five-year contract with Nevada in April, which runs through June, 2011.